Results 2161 - 2180 of 2277
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Hank Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
2161 | God's love not important in daily life | Rom 12:12 | Hank | 7941 | ||
The answer for me can be summed up in one word: Hope. And I do not mean hope in the sense of wishful thinking, but in the Biblical sense of confident expectation. God in His love for us does not pamper us or kiss a boo-boo on our knee when we stumble the way a mother does for her child. He does not give us a glass of cold lemonade to quench our thirst on a hot summer day the way a loving spouse will do. But by the act of His Son on the cross He gives us His immeasurable love, the offer of eternal life through Christ. And upon acceptance of that love, we have a hope that is both sure and steadfast. A life led with nothing to hope for but misery here and eternal misery hereafter is not a thing to be desired. Our life on earth is no Eden. But we do have a blessed hope in Christ Jesus. Hope of righteousness (Gal.5:5); Hope of glory (Col.1:27); Hope of salvation (1 Thess.5:8); Hope of eternal life (Titus 3:7); Living Hope (1 Pet.1:3).....As you observe in the declarative part of your question, God's redemptive love does not guarantee exemption from human suffering in this life. Indeed we, all of us, have our thorns in the flesh against which God's love does not shield us. And who is immune to crying out in pain and distress, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Why do the righteous have to suffer? The book of Job raises the question, but does it answer it? Possibily I can understand why you would say that God's love is more scary than comforting. But don't you feel that it is we who are lacking in our ability to delve into the mind of the Almighty God? He is indeed awesome and transcendent, and we are merely His finite creation. His ways are not our ways, and his thoughts not our thoughts..... Still and all, romantic notions of love nothwithstanding, I believe that God does manifest His providential love and concern for His people here on earth in countless ways. We may not always read them as being His love, no more than a child reads parental discipline as love. I am the father of three children, all of them grown now. But how many times can I recall when my wife and I had to refuse to buy them all the candy they wanted and were told, "Mommie and Daddy, you don't love me anymore." Or the time I stood by my little daughter's side when the pediatrician was treating a painful boil, and she looked dolefully into my eyes and said, "Please, Daddy, make him stop hurting me." Maybe God's love for His children is something like that. --Hank | ||||||
2162 | Male-female equality? | Gal 3:28 | Hank | 7782 | ||
Male-female equality? In all of Scripture I know of no other passage that says it more forthrightly or succinctly than does Galatians 3:28. We are, all of us, male and female, one in Christ Jesus. --Hank | ||||||
2163 | Use of quotation marks... i'm confused! | Num 11:12 | Hank | 7718 | ||
You have displayed by your question another fine example of the genius of giving close attention to minute detail! And the New King James version agrees with your conclusion, and so do I, that the Moses' quotation of God (a quote within a quote, really) should indeed end with "....nursing infant. The NASB rendering of the subsequent phrase "to the land which You swore to their fathers" has God uttering these words, and that makes no contextual sense at all. The complex construction is compounded by the NASB's capitalization of "You" when it is, in fact, God who is being quoted, according to the quotation marks employed in the NASB. One simply doesn't say "you" when speaking of himself! Here is the full verse as the translators of the NKJV punctuate it: (Moses, of course, is the speaker, speaking to God) "Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, (beginning of God's quote) 'Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,' (end of God's quote) to the land which You swore to their fathers?" The parenthetical notations are, of course, mine. The NIV addresses the problem by recasting the sentence in such a way that God's remarks are referenced but not quoted directly; hence, no quotation marks are needed. This is a passage which I feel really ought to be brought to Lockman's attention for consideration in subsequent editions of the NASB. You can contact them via email on the Lockman.org website. And I for one would love to hear from you should you decide to contact Lockman. It would be of interest to learn about their parsing of this passage. --Hank | ||||||
2164 | How does the Mk10:29-30 grammar work?? | Mark 10:30 | Hank | 7708 | ||
One of the problems in the construction of this passage stems from the use of the double negative. In Mark 10:29 Jesus said "there is no one who has left house...." and in 10:30 says "but that he will receive (or, "who shall not receive" as the NKJV puts it). The NIV reads, "no one who has left home....will fail to receive." We could say "everyone who has left home.....will receive" without essentially corrupting the meaning, but we would lose something of the dramatic effect of the double negative that may have been intended in the original language. The phrase "but that" in the NASB could also be read "except that" and the meaning would be about the same. Short, simple words in the English language can, and do, give us trouble from time to time. The word "but" for instance can be used as a conjunction, preposition, adverb, pronoun, and even as a noun. The little two-letter word "so" has more definitions than any other word in the English language!.....Your question, which you dubbed "just a tidbit" is far from being trivial or insignificant. Quite to the contrary. Minute attention to detail, someone has said, is the mark of genius. On the other hand, ignoring detail can lead to embarrassing, if not disasterous, situations. Some years ago in Boston at the Old North Church I saw a copy of what has come to be called the "Vinegar Bible.' On the page atop the passage in Matthew 20 about the parable of the vineyard, the heading read, "The Parable of the Vinegar." Someone had not paid close attention to detail! --Hank | ||||||
2165 | Than i may know Him | Gen 1:1 | Hank | 7593 | ||
We know from the Bible that God is eternal. But the idea of eternity really is impossible for finite human beings to understand. We think in measurable categories. Our references are always to time or distance. We measure time by the day or by the year; distance by the inch or by the mile. We may have a fairly clear idea of what a day is or what a year is, or even some sort of vague notion of what a million years is. But of eternity in which there is no such thing as time as we know it, and of God's being in "eternity past" forever and forever, having no beginning and no ending -- these are concepts that boggle the mind. The Bible says simply, "In the beginning God created..." But before the "beginning" -- the beginning of creation -- God was. Always was, always is, always will be......So what was it like before God created the universe? The Bible does not say. Science does not know. All we have to go on, which is nothing really, is our imagination, our speculation, our guesses. We do know this: We know that God is a sovereign, all knowing, and all-powerful God. We know that God is not dependent upon his creation for His being, no more than an artist derives his life from his painting.......And what did God do first? Again, all we know is from the first few words of Genesis, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." In your question Jim you pointed out that God said and things started to happen. And what a marvelous testimony this is to the incomparable greatness and might of the living God. He can say "Let there be light," and there is light. He can breathe the breath of life into a piece of clay and it becomes a living human being, fashioned in the likeness of God Himself.God, how great Thou art! --Hank | ||||||
2166 | What DO you mean, then? | 1 Tim 6:20 | Hank | 7474 | ||
Dear charis, I too have taken my mind to the end of its tether (not a very long one, admittedly :-), and can harvest nothing from this thread.....Wouldn't it possibly be more fruitful to sever this thread and weave a new one? For instance, have you ever wondered how Noah kept the woodpeckers from eating him out of house and home? "Wood" you be willing to tackle that one? It seems to be laden with infinitely more possibilities for edification. --Hank | ||||||
2167 | Books that have influenced you most? | Eccl 12:12 | Hank | 7454 | ||
Shame, shame, JVH! Your question brought me out of exile. When Sir Walter Scott was on his death-bed, he asked his son-in-law to read to him. The son-in-law, thinking that the great writer wanted to hear a passage from one of his own books, asked "Sir Walter, from which of your books shall shall I read?" Sir Walter replied, "My young man, there is but one Book. Read to me from the Book."......JVH, I have read many books, from Shakespeare to Agatha Christie, from Homer to Louis L'Amour. I have been entertained by a large number of good books. But your question has to do with which books have had the greatest influence on thinking and life. And I would have to echo the words of Sir Walter Scott, "There is only one Book" that measures up. All others pale in comparison. Pale so vastly that they hardly get even honorable mention........P.S. Deep and sincere thanks to all of you who posted so many kind remarks on the occasion of my note of farewell. I plan to return to the forum on a limited scale. Blessing. --Hank | ||||||
2168 | What happened to the disciples? | Mark 3:16 | Hank | 7084 | ||
Actually, Nolan, we don't know from biblical sources what happened to all the disciples (Apostles). It's not like reading in the Old Testament about the patriarchs -- that so-and-so lived x-number of years, had sons and daughters, and then he died. There are any number of extra-biblical sources and traditions that tell of the fate of the Apostles, and they make interesting reading. Whether they are all entirely accurate and reliable is perhaps disputable. --Hank | ||||||
2169 | Who wrote the Book of James? | James 1:1 | Hank | 7083 | ||
Nolan, James, the brother of our Lord, has been credited by long-standing tradition as being the author of this fine little New Testament book, which has been called affectionately "The Proverbs of the New Testament." There were, of course other New Testament figures called James; to wit, James, the son of Alphaeus (Matt.10:30), one of the Twelve; James, the son of Zebedee and brother of Apostle John (Matt.10:2); and James, the father of the Apostle Judas (Luke 6:16). Now that we've tried to sort out the Jameses, maybe we should do the same for the Marys too! :) --Hank | ||||||
2170 | Hank where did I say all of this? | 1 Tim 3:2 | Hank | 7057 | ||
Dear Ed, if you for a moment think I was talking about (or preaching to) you, please disencumber yourself from any notion that I was suggesting, or even attempting to suggest, that you were the "villain" as you put it. You question why I told the story of the divorced minister in a discussion of divorced ministers, and submit that this seemed a reasonable place to tell it. You say that all of my comment was inflammatory and all without cause. Ed, I never said that you were pointing a finger at anyone or impugning God about anything. I'm sorry that you have taken my remarks so personally, as being meant to be accusatory of you. They were merely meant to show, and do show, how I personally feel about the matter as it applies to me, and to me alone. I neither know nor am I particularly concerned about how other people may feel. That is their business, not mine.....Again, Ed, please believe me and put your heart at ease: I did not and do not accuse you of anything. I am truly sorry that you took offense. If I had had any clue that you would take any part of this posting as an offense to yourself personally, I would have most surely inserted a disclaimer to the effect that you were not in any way intended to be the target of anything I said in it. Words, spoken or in print -- especially in print -- can very easily be taken the wrong way, that is to say, the reader sees a meaning in them that the speaker or writer did not have in mind when he spoke or penned them. That, as I'm sure you will agree to, is a rather common occurrence in our daily give-and-take relationships with other people. Those of us who post on this forum are especially vulnerable to being misunderstood by what we say and to misunderstanding what others may say. Language is a tricky business and words have a way of being disobedient to our thoughts.....I have every reason on earth to believe that you are a man who loves the Lord and are doing your very best to follow Him. I think your postings, your questions, your comments are born of pure and honest motives. Never have I thought that you were trying to cause a train wreck on the forum by anything you have said. Neither, for that matter, am I. I appreciate your candor in asking me to give an answer for what I said. It is my sincere wish that I have dealt with this matter properly and to your full satisfaction. What I have said on this post is the best I can do, and I leave it to you to decide whether it is sufficient. --Hank | ||||||
2171 | Doesn't make you wonder | 1 Tim 3:2 | Hank | 7035 | ||
No, EdB, it doesn't make me wonder, simply because the passage "literally" doesn't say what you and Steve seem to want it to say. Ed, when you or I seem to see in a passage what dedicated Bible scholars have failed to see for 2,000 years, isn't it just possible that we need to re-examine our interpretation? I don't mean to be curt or impolite in any way. But please do think about the passages again. Was Paul's main thrust marriage per se, or was he not laying down more far-reaching moral and spiritual qualifications for a church leader and saying, parenthetically as it were, that if a man happened to be married, it must be a marriage as God ordained, i.e., to one woman? Ed, that is the only sense of the passage that really makes sense and is in proper context with the rest of Scripture. Herewith, along with previous posts, I have said all I know to say and close my book on this topic. Grace to you. --Hank | ||||||
2172 | How do we pull marriage out? | 1 Tim 3:2 | Hank | 7004 | ||
Ed, the consensus among wiser men by far than I -- learned, God-fearing men who have devoted their lives to Bible exegesis -- is that this passage in Paul's Timothy letter and in the virtually parallel passage in his Titus letter are to be understood thusly: A man who desires to be an overseer (bishop, elder) should (if he is married) be the husband of one wife (not a polygamist or woman-chaser) and his children (if he has any) should be obedient believers. A man whom his wife divorces because of his marital infidelity would clearly be disqualifed to hold a church office, but a man whose wife commits adultery and a divorce results would just as clearly not be disqualified. And inasmuch as the death of a spouse ends the marriage contract, a widower would not be disqualifed unless he failed to meet the other criteria specified in the passages in question. I don't know any better way to say it. --Hank | ||||||
2173 | Can you be a husband without marriage? | 1 Tim 3:2 | Hank | 6985 | ||
I have thought, EdB, and I respectfully disagree with you. I believe that you are reading far more into the passage than the passage was ever intended to say. That is a flaw to which we are, most of us at any rate, heir to by virtue of being imperfect human beings. Tim Moran has recently posted a wise observation about this business of reading more into a text than is there to read. EdB, I confess frankly and openly that in a score of years of trying to teach a Sunday School class, I've done that not just once, but many times. And I'm not bragging, but stating a fact! All good wishes in Christ Jesus. --Hank | ||||||
2174 | Where did Cains wife come from | Gen 4:17 | Hank | 6878 | ||
Edge, since you are new to the Study Bible Forum you may not be familiar with the Search feature found on the top left of the home page. Please type in "Cain" and you will be shown a number of postings that relate to your question. The short answer is that the Scriptures never tell us specifically who Cain married. We can infer that she was a descendent of Adam and Eve and thus a relative of Cain, possibly sister or niece. A warm welcome to the forum. --Hank | ||||||
2175 | How can one be sure of his/her salvation | John 3:16 | Hank | 6740 | ||
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."-------JVH, if that precious verse were all we had in all of Holy Writ to assure us ofof our salvation in the Lord Jesus, it would be enough. But God in His love and infinite wisdom has given us more, many more, assurances of our salvation through His Son. What's the Bible all about if it isn't what has been called "the scarlet thread of redemption?" From Alpha to Omega, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible looks to the mighty redemptive atonement of Christ. To no other topic does it attach more importance; to no other topic does it speak more volubly......But I generalize and now should cite a few verses (from among a host) that speak directly to your question. (1) If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. --1 John 1:7. (2) These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may KNOW (emphasis mine) that you have eternal life. --1 John 5:13. (3) Whoever confeses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. --1 John 4:15. (4) For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able t separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. --Romans 8:38,39....... Remember the hymn that has the lines, "Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life"? Aren't these verses wonderful words of life indeed? And there are many, many more in the Word that are just as wonderful. These just happen to be some of my favorites with which I am well acquainted..... A true believer in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of his life can sing "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine" with nothing but the fullest confidence in his salvation. --Hank | ||||||
2176 | Where is "paradise" in Luke 23:43 | Luke 23:43 | Hank | 6699 | ||
Dear Dana, the most comprehensive definition I could find that is at the same time fairly concise is this, taken from the Holman Bible Dictionary: Paradise - Old Persian term which means literally "enclosure" or "wooded park," used in the Old Testament to speak of King Artaxerxes' forest (Neh.2:8), and twice of orchards (Eccl.2:5; Song of Sol.4:13). All three New Testament occurrences (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor.12.4; Rev. 2:7) refer to the abode of the righteous dead (heaven). The Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) used "paradise" to translate the Hebrew words for the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2 - 3. Over the years the terms became synonymous, and eventually paradise came to refer to heaven. .....When Jesus in John 20:17 spoke to Mary Magdalene outside the tomb saying, "I have not yet ascended to the Father," He was speaking of His ascension that would take place 40 days hence. --Hank | ||||||
2177 | Who's on first? | Josh 10:12 | Hank | 6665 | ||
JVH, I agree. Who's on first. What's on second. On third? I don't know. | ||||||
2178 | Is this definition unbiblical? | Josh 10:12 | Hank | 6600 | ||
Where did the definition come from? (This is a rhetorical question and begs no answer.) | ||||||
2179 | More thoughts on the prayer of Jabez? | 1 Chr 4:9 | Hank | 6480 | ||
EdB, an astute observation and I share your thoughts about the prayer of Jabez being used as a talisman, a "rabbit's foot" kind of thing that is meant to bring one good fortune. We run far afield, it seems to me, when we fall into a ritualistic mode of praying. It's little removed from the paganistic practice of saying mantras over and over. The same observation appears to hold with reference to the so-called "Lord's Prayer" when it is repeated time upon time without due regard to what the words mean. When someone concludes a service or a meeting by asking everyone to stand and "say" the Lord's Prayer, one has to wonder who is "saying" and who is "praying". There is a difference! --Hank | ||||||
2180 | How can a Christian overcome a bad habit | Bible general Archive 1 | Hank | 6235 | ||
Well, JVH, I don't believe "willpower" has much to do with breaking a bad habit. Those of us who have had any experience with trying to break bad habits and keep New Year's resolutions will likely agree that human "willpower" alone is seldom effective, if at all. I like the word "abide" -- it has various meanings in Scripture, but generally means to wait, to rest, to stand firm. A minister whom I know once had a mountainous problem with alcohol, both before he became a Christian and for a short time afterward. Here is a condensed version of what he had to say about his "demon." "I made resolution upon resolution not to touch alcohol again. I promised God I would stop drinking. Each day I repeated a little mantra to myself that I would not drink. But I continued to drink, even after I became a Christian. Finally it dawned on me what I was doing wrong. There was too much 'I will' in my life and even in my prayers, and not much 'God will'. I was not abiding in Christ (John 15:4) in the sense of resting in Him, surrendering my will totally to His, and simply waiting upon the Lord to deliver me from my bondage. I was still trying to do the job myself and was powerless to do so. The Lord delivered me only when I gave my life completely to Him." I love that testimony and it is true. In Matt. 17:21 Jesus said, speaking of demons, "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." I believe that the prerequisite to breaking any bad habit or addiction is, firstly of course, to want to; it is unthinkable to pray for something we do not want. After wanting comes surrender to God's will, prayer, and then simply to abide, to wait, and to trust, to have absolute faith in God. Jesus said in Matt. 17:20 that faith the size of a mustard seed can remove mountains. And bad habits and addictions can become real mountains in our lives. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said we should not worry about our lives, but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Putting God first in our pecking order is primary to breaking bad habits and in being empowered to live abundantly. To anyone who has the "demons" of addictions or other undesirable habits chipping away at his very life and bringing him to hopelessness, misery and despair, the words of Jesus in Matt. 19:26 "with God all things are possible" point to a clear and sure way out of the mire. --Hank | ||||||
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